Going out to eat at Restaurants?? How to count calories?

I google the nutrition info for the dish and find something similar. I definitely wouldn't forget about logging the whole day. That's not a good habit to get into. It's always best just to find something close to what you had and estimate.

I go by what ingredients are in the food I order and usually they can tell you. You can't get an exact number, but I'll get an estimate and add some calories to it.

i break everything down.. 2 corn tortillas, 1/2 cup cheese, carne chilli.. etc.. thats pretty much how I log everything, I Mexican restaurants - well any restaurant really even eating healthy is about 900-1000 calories..
At mexican restaurants-- bring saltine crackers for the hot sauce-- its a better choice than chips, I usually order chicken tortilla soup or the salad with a grilled meat- then pour hot sauce all over it-- taste fabulous!!!
Thai-- beef salad, veggie sushi-- or the clear soup w veggies..

Good LUCK!!

Good advice- logging everything and "knowing" is best!!!

Y'know,
I just had hashbrowns at a local diner this morning and I searched the basic food name and took the highest calorie option.. just to be on the safe side.
Better to overestimate calories than underestimate, if you're trying to lose weight!

I usually eat half of my entree, then overestimate the serving size. I also try to leave at least half of my exercise calories on that day as a "pad." We go to a Mexican Restaurant every other week, and it is a challenge.

I always liked Panera Bread, but even more since starting MFP. Their web site is awesome... you can add and subtract ingredients and see the calorie count.

I pretty much just don't log if I'm going out to eat now. I stopped logging on weekends and holidays about 10 months ago and haven't looked back.

But when I did log every meal, and went out to eat at a place that didn't have nutritional info, I picked the closest meal from any of the big chain restaurants. Chances are, lasagna from a locally owned, everything made fresh restaurant is actually lower in calories than something from, say, Olive Garden, so the OG option would be my worst case scenario.

Here's what I do: I order two of everything, take one home, and burn in my bomb calorimeter.

Calorie recipe – how to figure out how many calories in your favourite food in five easy steps!

* Weigh the food or meal
* Blend the food or meal until smooth with an even consistency and very unappetizing.
* Freeze dry the pureed mush.
* Grind the dried pureed mush into a fine powder.
* Cook the powder until it bursts into flames and all that’s left is a pile of ash. . . .

As the flaming, pureed, freeze-dried powder burns, it produces heat that you can measure.

Scientists call this direct calorimetry, because you directly measure how many calories come from a food. To do this, they usually use a special type of equipment called a bomb calorimeter.



http://www.precisionnutrition.com/label-lies

But only on the 1st of April!

California restaurants required to post this information and make it readily available. If not required I would request the information from the restaurant and/or find apps which provide this information such restuarants app on iphone.

Yes, but only for chains with 20 or more locations in California. Your local madre y padre Mexican place is not required to post anything. And even chains aren't required to post specials.

"As of January 1, 2010 the [California restaurant nutrition info] law required that large restaurant chains with 20 or more locations in California disclosure calorie information only for each standard menu item . . . ." http://nutrition.levitas.com/

For those not in California, the Obama healthcare law will require posting, also for chains with 20 or more outlets. But the effective date of that posting has not yet been determined by FDA.

Yeah you just do your best guess. I will search it in the MFP database and choose something as similar as I can.

I find something similar to it. Or go to the website.

Packaged food has +/-20% wiggle room. Restaurants have no required level of accuracy. Take a look at this article if you really want to be depressed about the accuracy of logging restaurant meals: http://ddr.nal.usda.gov/bitstream/10113/38283/1/IND44305112.pdf

I look for something similar from a chain restaurant and log it as that.

Packaged food has +/-20% wiggle room. Restaurants have no required level of accuracy. Take a look at this article if you really want to be depressed about the accuracy of logging restaurant meals: http://ddr.nal.usda.gov/bitstream/10113/38283/1/IND44305112.pdf

I know. :laugh: I worked in a restaurant. Our food cost was always through the roof. I considered locking up the oils and butters and cheeses to try to rein it in. . . oh, "a handful of this and a spoon-of-some-random-size of that".....the one ounce portion of cheese the recipe called for was often more like four ounces when it walked out to the table. Maddening. I'll never trust a restaurant's calorie count estimates.

I've had pretty good luck so far with emailing the restaurant and telling them:

1) how much I love their place and how much I enjoy having ____ to eat when I go there. (This is easiest if I have a favorite item or items on the menu and the menu doesn't change often.)

2) that I would be delighted if they could help me estimate my calories so that I can continue with my goal of _____.

3) I ask for either their estimate of a serving size and basic nutrition (fat, carbs, sugar, sodium) or a rough ingredient list with amounts. I add that I understand if they are uncomfortable giving me seasoning details for a "secret recipe" but that I just want enough info so that can make a decent nutrition estimate.

Most of the time, I get a reply in a couple of days or less and it's always very friendly and informative for my needs.

It's even worked with grocery stores. For example, I emailed Publix and they sent me PDFs of the full nutrition info for their artisan salads that they make fresh each day (from the grill/sandwich/deli section).